Fountain pen



May 10, 1938. E.K. WERNER FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Sept. 20, 1935 INVENTOR.

50 5/1 4- A. MFA/8.

Ill/ rillin 1 I l I I I. I'IIIIIIII 041 ATTORNEYS.

W/ r/VES-S.

Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Francis K. Werner an York, N. Y.

Application September 1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fountain pens.

More particularly, the invention contemplates a new and improved fountain pen of the type 5 which employs an ink stick which is subjected to the action of water or similar fluid partially to dissolve the ink stick and form a writing fluid.

Such fountain pens, however, as generally constructed do not include a fluid receptacle which corresponds to the ink stick of a fountain pen of ordinary construction, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a fountain pen in which the fluid which is fed to the presence of the ink stick to form the writing fluid may be contained in a rubber sack.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved feed mechanism for pens of the above mentioned character.

In pens which employ ink sticks as generally constructed, the fluid sack, afore-rnentioned, is not employed for the reason that it renders it impossible to renew ink sticks as required, since the fluid receptacle, because of the fact that it is mounted upon the feed bar or the member by which the feed bar is carried, does not permit access to the ink stick receptacle, and it is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide a novel construction whereby access to the ink stick receptacle may be had from the rear end thereof even though said rear end is enclosed within the fluid receptacle when the pen is assembled for use.

Qther objects of the invention will appear as the nature thereof is better understood, and for this purpose reference will be had to the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a pen constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a detail fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on a still further enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and;

Figure 5 is a distended perspective view.

Referring to the drawing by reference character, l designates the barrel of the pen. The pen is provided with the ordinary cap H which is placed over the nib or point l2 when the pen is not in use, and I3 designates the forward end of the feed bar, all of which may be of ordinary con- (1 Anton Enz, both of New 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,336

struction. The barrel is threaded as at M to receive the cap II, and is provided with the ordinary filling lever l which operates a compression bar to compress the fluid sack, the compression bar not being herein illustrated.

The reference numeral 20 designates a coupling member which is inserted into the forward end of the barrel l0 and has a friction fit as at 2| therein. The portion 22 of the coupling member is preferably of a diameter substantially equal to the exterior diameter of the barrel It, the portion 22' being reduced to provide the friction fit 2 I, heretofore mentioned. The coupling member is further reduced as at 23 to receive the open end of the fluid receptacle or sack 24, which latter may be cemented to the coupling member 22 if desired.

The coupling member 22 has an internal thread 25, and having engagement with this thread 25 there is a sleeve member 26. The sleeve member 26 carries the feed bar 21, which latter is provided with a recess 28 in which the ink stick 29 is received. As best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the ink stick recess 28 is of a size which bears a direct relation to the size of the ink stick employed. This construction is adhered to in order that, when the ink stick is inserted in the ink stick recess, it will substantially fill the same.

The feed bar is frictionally held within the sleeve member 26 and is so adjusted therein that its rear end and the rear end of the ink stick recess 28 will be flush with the rear end of the sleeve member 26, and the threaded connection 25 heretofore mentioned, is such that, when the sleeve member 26 is inserted in the coupling 20, the rear ends of the feed bar, the ink stick recess, sleeve member 26 and coupling member 20 will be flush with one another, and the ink stick 29 will preferably be of such length as to terminate flush with the inner end of the feed bar.

The feed bar 21 is provided with a plurality of fluid feeding channels 30 which extend from the rear end thereof forwardly to a point closely adjacent the free end of the forward portion l3 of the feed bar, as best illustrated in Figure 5, At a point intermediate the ends of the feed bar and located preferably centrally between the channels 30, there is a channel 3|. This channel extends entirely through the wall of the feed bar in which it is formed and establishes communication between the fluid feed channels 30 and the ink stick recess 28, as indicated at 33 in Figure 3,

The pen operates in the following manner. The fluid receptacle or sack 24 having been filled with water or other fluid, the fluid passes into the feed channels of the feed bar and flows therealong until it reaches the channel or cut out portion 3|. As indicated by arrows in Figure 3, the fluid will then pass inwardly of the channel or cut out portion 3| into direct contact with the ink stick 29, whereupon it will again flow out of said channel or cut out portion 3! and into the channels 30 of the feed bar to position beneath the writing point of the nib |2,, from which it is discharged in the ordinary manner. In view of the fact that the ink stick substantially fills the ink stick recess, the fluid must follow the course described, and does not enter the ink stick recess from the rear open end thereof as is the case in pens of this type as generally constructed, or at least this action takes place until such time as the ink stick may become reduced in size. This latter condition does not, however, exist until an ink stick has been in use for a considerable length of time and in some instances may never exist, since, there being no flow of fluid around the rear or inner end of the ink stick, it is slow to dissolve at this point.

When it becomes necessary to renew the ink stick it is only necessary to unscrew the sleeve 26 from its threaded connection 25 with the coupling member 20. This will completely remove the feed bar and leave the rear end of the ink stick recess 28 free for the insertion of a new ink stick, while the fluid receptacle or sack 24 will remain intact within the barrel It], being retained therein by the coupling member 20.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new and improved structure in fountain pens of the type in which the writing fluid per se is produced within the pen by subjecting a soluble ink stick to the action of a fluid which will dissolve the same and form the writing fluid.

While the invention has been herein illustrated in its preferred form it is to be understood that it may be practiced in other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

Ina pen of the type described, a feed bar, said feed bar having a relatively small ink stick recess whereby an ink stick placed within said recess will substantially fill the same, said feed bar having a plurality of parallel fluid feeding chan nels extending longitudinally of its outer surface, said channels terminating at the inner end of the feed bar, and a relatively short passage way extending from the base of the center channel of said fluid feeding channels through the feed bar to the ink stick recess thereby to expose an ink stick in said recess to the action of a fluid passing along the fluid feeding channels of the feed bar.

EUGENE K. WERNER. 

